A Harmless Prank
by Everein
Summary: Who would've thought that forcing a notorious prankster to pay attention to a lesson in trap-setting could have such an effect?  Of course, that was kinda Iruka's plan from the beginning.  AU Pre-Genin
1. Chapter 1

The Exhibitionist

Chapter One

The dawn breaks over another peaceful day in Konohagakure no Satou, the sounds of the morning gently waking people from their slumber. A rooster call echoes, but is quickly drowned out by the shouts of anger that many of the people of Konoha have grown adapted to. Indeed, the early morning sight of enraged ninja chasing a madly cackling, bewhiskered little blonde, yelling at him as they do, is something that most have accepted as a normal.

"Brat, get back here!" The cry echoed behind him as Uzumaki Naruto laughed obnoxiously, the sound grating on even his ears, as he sprinted away from his pursuers, ducking around a corner and quickly pulling up his special disguise sheet as the ninja thundered past, yelling as they did.

"Just wait til I get my hands on you, Uzumaki!" That yell made him smirk as the crazy snake lady that had thrown a dango stick at him rushed past, her trench coat dyed an embarrasing, eye-piercing pink. '_Heh, better than demon,' _Naruto thought, dropping his sheet and turning around to begin on his way only to walk straight into a furious Iruka. The little blonde and his angry chuunin instructor stared at each other for a moment before Umino Iruka recovered and quickly hog-tied Naruto and dragged him back to the Academy, scolding him viciously as he went before ordering Naruto to see him after class. The boy just grinned brightly and said nothing as Iruka tied him to his seat and began the day's lesson, a refresher cours on chakra and its uses.

The stupid grin never left Naruto's face. Heh, he'd sure shown those stupid ninjas what's what!

_-line-_

Iruka was confused. In fact, he hadn't been this confused since, well, ever. Uzumaki Naruto was an enigma. He goofed off, caused trouble and generally acted just like he had when he was the brats age. Everything he did was designed to attract people's attentions, usually in a negative way, but he was so happy when someone got angry at him, especially if they started yelling at him. The hostility seemed to cheer him, an odd reaction indeed, but that wasn't what had Iruka confused. What had him confused was the fact that Uzumaki Naruto was brilliant. The thought he put into his pranks, usually harmless traps, come to think of it, was nothing short of genius, and he exhibited a natural talent for hiding that was almost unbelievable. Why, then, did he do so poorly in school? His pranks were executed perfectly, right down to the human element, but every exercise that involved traps or subversion was a sure fail for the boy. Hmm, he'd have to have a talk with Naruto after school today.

Naruto, meanwhile, was oblivious to the attentions of his instructor, as well as the lesson. Laaaame. Who the heck cared about this? Pump enough chakra in to make things go boom and that was it! He just had to shake his head at the silliness of this lesson. His eyes drifted toward the clock, and he blinked when he saw that it was almost time to go. Alright, pranking time! Hehehe, he already had one planed out for the next day, one that involved paint, glue, and rope. Lots and lots of rope.

The bell rang and he jumped up, excited to be gone, when a voice rang out sharply behind him.

"Naruto, stay after. I'm going to have a long overdue talk with you." He flinched slightly as some of the other students snickered, sure that the dobe was about to get in big trouble.

"H-Hai, Iruka-sensei," Naruto stuttered in reply. The next few minutes were spent fidgeting and waiting for his punishment as Iruka waited for the last few stragglers to leave. When they were gone, Iruka sighed and looked at Naruto tiredly, pinching th bridge of his nose for a moment before beginning to speak.

"Naruto, you're brilliant. Your pranks show a foresight that not many people can claim they have and you almost always correctly predict peoples' reactions. Why, then, do you do so poorly in school?"

Naruto blinked, stunned for a moment at the unexpected compliment, before laughing and scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Come ooon, Iruka-sensei, it's boring! School is all about lame things, like history and writing pretty and stuff. Pranks are so much cooler than school, so of course I work hard on them!" He nodded sharply, sure his logic would bring Iruka-sensei to his senses. Surprisingly, it did. The man laughed softly for a moment before sobering and looking seriously at Naruto.

"Ya know, I was a lot like you when I was your age. Prankster to the core, so I know what you're talking about, gaki. What you learn is lame, at least right now. But history is always usefull for undercover missions and calligraphy for writing mission reports, so don't deride them so easily. You didn't answer my question, though, gaki. Why don't you try during the exercises, at least?"

Becaauuuse, sensei," Naruto whined, "All my equipment sucks and no one ever helped me out like they helped Sasuke-teme! Of course I suck!"

It was Iruka's turn to blink in surprise. His teaching had been that badly neglected? He sighed, realizing he shouldn't be surprised, before looking at the fidgeting, impatient blonde in front of him. "Alright, Naruto. I have a little deal for you. I teach you rudimentary taijutsu so you're at the level you're supposed to be and help give you training advice and some actual training equipment. In return, you train as hard as you can and pay attention in class. I have trap-setting scheduled for next week, so you might actually want to listen. Deal?"

Iruka chuckled at Naruto's fervent nod. He'd get the boy so focused on training that he might even stop with his pranking. Unless, of course, he decided that pranking was, in fact training. Then things would just suck. He pushed that pessimistic thougt out of his head and reached into his desk, pulling out a scroll on basic taijutsu. He handed it to the boy, saying, "Here. I expect you to have practiced some of this by the next time I call for you to stay after."

Naruto nodded even more fervently, his eyes bright with excitement. Heh, he'd show that Sasuke-teme who was better yet!

_-line-_

_**A/N: This idea's been bouncing around in my head for awhile now, so I figured I'd throw down the beginning and see what the world thinks. It's my first fic and I'm open to reviews of any kind except flame. Srsly, If you think this story should be burned in the fires of hell and I'm absolute scum for writing it, good for you. I don't care. I am, however, open to and encourage critical reviews on both the plot (such as it is) and my writing style. If I did something wrong, tell me and I'll fix it if I can.**_

_** On to the plot. No, this will not be a totally lame rehash of canon with a better Naruto. This Naruto will retain a lot of flamboyance, but he'll be sneakier, trickier, and more subtle. The only thing that will remain canon from this point is him stealing the Scroll of Seals, but even then the reasons will be different. On that note, reviews get you my undying thanks. And maybe a cookie.**_


	2. Chapter 2

The Exhibitionist

Chapter Two

Iruka sighed as he read the report in his hands for the umpteenth time, amused and slightly horrified by his growing favorite and most annoying student's audacity. Really, breaking into the Uchiha clan area to challenge the Uchiha scion to a duel a three in the morning? He sighed again, shaking his head in bemusement as he realized that he'd have to have his first talk with Naruto about his training and, more importantly, subtlety, sooner than anticipated. Looking back on Naruto's evil smirk as he left, taijutsu scroll in hand, Iruka honestly wondered why he was so surprised. Looking up as he heard the first footsteps of the day enter his classroom, he was shocked to find a tired, exited blonde boy looking back.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei! I'm ready for the day! Boy, it's gotta be pretty important if you went to all that trouble just to make me pay attention!" Naruto's enthusiasm was obvious, as was the fact that he'd been up all night training. The cuts and abrasions on his hands were already looking half-healed, but Iruka figured that Naruto should probable cover them anyway. He chuckled lightly before saying, " Naruto-san, why don't you wrap those hands of yours, just in case. Some of those bruises look pretty bad."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, looking down at his hands in shock and getting beaned in the face by the roll of bandages Iruka had tossed him. " Hah, I don't need no stinking bandages, Iruka-sensei! I'm fine!"

Iruka gave him his teacher-stare and the boy shut up and started wrapping. Iruka smirked. _'Works every time,' _he thought as he strode over and showed Naruto how to properly wrap a bandage. After he had finished, he returned to his desk and settled back, smirking at Naruto's approximation of a studious expression. His wide eyes and expression of intense concentration looked so out of place on the boy it was comical. He wiped the smile from his face as more students trouped in. It was time to work.

_-line-_

"...In addition, traps can be used to protect campsites from intrusion. By stringing up warning bells attatched to wire, or more... thorough alternatives, you can easily protect yourself and your team during resting periods... Can also be used in battles that you know are coming... Prepare the battlefield to your liking...

Naruto listened closely, or at least, as closely as he could, to Iruka-sensei's lecture about the benefits of trapping an area. It made sense, honestly, and the methods almost sounded... familiar. Why would that be...?

His eyes snapped open in shock and he sat up straighter in his chair as he realized that this was all starting to sound a little like his many infamous pranks. Wait... Some of those techniques were exactly like the ones he used for his pranks! Then that must mean... '_Naruto, you're brilliant. Your pranks show a foresight that not many people can claim they have...' _Iruka-sensei's words from yesterday sprang into his head. He must've known about this all along! Crazy old teacher...

Iruka 's face remained impassive as he saw the realization wash over Naruto's face even as the boy fidgeted with his no doubt itchy bandages, but on the inside, the chuunin was jumping for joy. He had finally, finally gotten through to the boy! His eyes swept the class as he continued explaining how traps were as much about causing confusion as they were about causing damage, and a wide smile bloomed on the boy's face. Glancing at the clock, he decided that he had spent enough time on the theoretical and wanted to see how Naru- how his students would fare in the practical. _'Careful, Iruka,' _he admonished himself. _'Favoritism is a bad thing in teachers.'_

"Alright, everybody, time for some practical application! Meet me outside at the Academy training Ground 6 in- Yes, Sakura?" The girl's hand had shot up as soon as he said 'practical application'. He sighed imperceptibly as she started her question.

"Ano... Iruka-sensei? How are we supposed to practice if we don't know any techniques?" The girl asked this hesitantly, faltering as though fearing punishment. Iruka opened his mouth to respond when Naruto jumped in eagerly, ready to answer.

"That's easy, Sakura-chan! Traps are about creativity! If everyone knew how a trap got made, then everyone would know what to look for and traps would be useless!" The boy spouted this off excitedly, and he eyed Sakura almost expectantly when he finished, obviously expecting some sort of comment on his excellent inference. He got a comment, but it was the complete opposite of what he was expecting.

"Shut up, Naruto-baka! Don't interrupt Iruka-sensei when he's about to answer! Kami, you're an idiot..." Sakura's furious tirade obviously hurt Naruto, and the poor boy looked like he was about to go cry when Iruka stepped in.

"Actually, Naruto-san is quite right, Sakura-san. Trap-setting is about quick thinking, creativity,and the ability to predict your opponent's response to certain stimuli." He was about to continue when another, more abrasive, student cut in.

"Haha, looks like you're brains won't help you here, Haruno!" Kiba laughed as Sakura reddened with anger. Iruka quickly cut in before things escalated into something physical. "Alright everyone, Field 6, off you go!" He sighed in relief as the students temporarily forgot what was going on between the Inuzuka scion and the Haruno girl, running off before they incited their teacher's wrath.

_-line-_

Naruto looked around the training field, ametuerishly looking for good prank (_'trap,' _he corrected himself) locations. There were a lot. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he realized that that was probably why Iruka-sensei had picked the place. He absently fingered the spool of wire in his pocket and started plotting his next prank (_'Trap!'_). He absently replaced the paint in his plans with smoke bombs and the rotten fruit with kunai. Hmmm... It'd be hard, especially with his lack of supplies, but he had an idea forming... He was drawn from his thoughts by the arrival of Iruk-sensei and listened carefully as the man explained what was going on.

"Ok, you all have one hour to set up some form of trap. you're limited to training kunai, smoke bombs, and Academy-grade ninja wire. All of you have been assigned a cordoned off area of approximately 20 square feet. Consult this map of the area to find your section and start working. your time starts... NOW!" At Iruka's cry, the students all scrambled forward, fighting each other to look at the map, before rushing off to their areas to begin placing their traps. He smirked again, making a mental note to be careful for the third time that day. They shouldn't be able to garrote him with the grade of ninja wire they were limited to, but it wouldn't hurt to be cautious. He carefully masked his chakra signature before striding off to observe his students in action.

_-line-_

_**A/N: Wow, 21 hits and one fav in the time it took me to write chap. 2. I think that means there's some interest out there! I tried to work on a little bit of character development in here. Don't know how well I did, though. Hey, drop me a review and tell me what ya think! :) Subtle review-mongering aside, I hate the title, so if anybody thinks of a title that would work better, I'm open to suggestions! Next chapter: Naruto finds out that this isn't as easy as he thought and Sasuke finds something he isn't good at! Uh-oh!**_


	3. Chapter 3

The Exhibitionist

Chapter Three

"Kuso!" The curse sprang from Naruto's lips unbidden as the trap he'd been setting up in the only viable entrance of his area failed again. It appeared that, for some reason, traps that work perfectly with paint failed miserably with smoke bombs. He sighed miserably before trying to figure out what went wrong. Hefting the smoke bomb in his hand, he realized that it was quite a bit lighter than the paint balloons he usually used for this sort of thing. Eyes narrowing, he realized that weight must have something to do with the problems he'd been having. The boy nodded his head sharply upon figuring this out and went back to setting up his complex, convoluted trap scheme that would hopefully leave Iruka-sensei dazed, bruised, and disoriented. Ripe for the pickings, as it were. His evil cackling was noticed by two people nearby, Iruka-sensei, who shook his head ruefully and made a note to be extra careful in Naruto's area, and a dark-haired boy who was having much more trouble at this than befitted an Uchiha.

Sasuke scowled angrily at the tangled spool of wire that had claimed many of his kunai in its evil grasp. He cursed profusely as he kicked the pile of wires in an attempt to alleviate his frustration. It didn't work, however, as his foot just became hopelessly tangled in the wires and a kunai banged painfully against his toe. His ears peked up and his anger was momentarily forgotten, though, when the sound of... Evil cackling? Really? Reached his ears. Tch, the dobe had probably thought up some crazy trap scheme that would totally take down Iruka-sensei in one hit. Sasuke grumbled darkly as he thought about what to do next. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to succeed today (It would probably take him the whole hour just to untangle the wire), he resigned himself to asking the dobe for - here he shuddered - help. Kuso!

Meanwhile, completely unaware that Sasuke was plotting... plots involving him, Naruto had just put the finishing touches on the first part of his trap scheme: A trip wire painted orange and green, half hidden under a pile of falling leaves, that would trigger a barrage of smoke bombs if stepped on. If not, another wire painted orangeish brown strung at about the height of Iruka-sensei's stomach would trigger a barrage of training kunai. As the man dodged, backwards and sideways, Naruto knew, he would trigger a barrage of smoke bombs that would leave him blind and stumbling, at which point Naruto would manually activate the next trap... He shook himself from his monologue. Suffice it to say, the trap was brilliant. Still... What if Iruka-sensei came from somewhere else? Naruto thought hard before looking at his meager supplies. He sighed. Ah well, better some than nothing!

_-line-_

The shrill alarm alerted all the students that time was officially up. They hurried back to their meeting place and looked expectantly at Iruka-sensei, who grinned evilly and declared, "Right, since I don't have near enough time to go through and check your work, I'll just let you do that for each other! I'll pair you off, and each pair will go through and inspect each other's work. This will be a test of your trap avoidance skills as much as your trap setting skills!" He began listing names off at random, ending things up with a declaration of, "Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba, you will be partnered. Begin!"

Everyone quickly consulted the map and sped off, Naruto grinning evilly at Kiba and receiving likewise. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that Sakura would be his partner. Her traps would be obvious and she wouldn't deride his attempt like many others would.

Naruto smirked slightly as he carefully scanned the area around him, each step careful and gentle, his bare feet feeling for any trace of wires. His eyes remained sharply on the lookout for any other signs, from a kunai glinting in a tree to the familiar sight of wires hanging in the air. Kiba probably wouldn't have the smarts to disguise them, but you can never be too safe. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a gleam of light from a nearby tree. Looking closer, not even breathing, he made out the shape of a kunai, the wire tied to it passing right in front of where Naruto stood. He eyed it carefully, trying to figure out a safe spot he could disable it from. As he did so, he noticed several more of the tripwires strung throughout the trees. Kiba had gone for area instead of intensity, it seemed, and the wires were spread out enough that it was hard to spot them all, but close enough that someone dodging one would run into another. He smiled slightly, making a mental note to congratulate Kiba later as he pulled out his last kunai, tied his last bit of wire around the ring, and set about disabling the traps.

Kiba, regretfully, was not so lucky. He had stepped on the first trip wire Naruto had set up and stumbled through Naruto's entire chain of traps. The Inuzuka was now covered in bruises and neon orange paint, making him an easy target had any hostiles been in the area. His cursing was heard all over the area, drawing smiles from some students as they set about their tasks. Sakura was one of the students who smiled, albeit somewhat distractedly. She was staring at the pathetic pile in fron of her, trying to figure out what Sasuke-kun was up to, but eventually just gave up and walked away. Sasuke, meanwhile, easily disabled the obvious traps Sakura had left him before sighing and heading back to the meeting area.

_-line-_

Iruka smiled proudly at his students as they assembled back in the meeting area. For a first attempt, their trap disabling escapades had gone over rather well. With a few exceptions, of course. He smiled inwardly at the sight of a cursing, orange Inuzuka making his way back to the small clearing that had become their meeting area. One by one, other students began trickling in, some proud, some shame-faced, and some just plain angry. Nothing compared to the proud smile on Naruto's face, though, as he ran over and handed Kiba back his gear, congratulating him on excellent work as he did. Kiba just blinked at him before nodding and taking back his equipment. Iruka clapped his hands once, the chakra-enhanced retort drawing everyone's attention, before he smiled and began speaking. "Great work today, everyone! You've all succeeded admirably and I'm proud of you! We finished off a little early, but I'm feeling generous. Take the rest of the day off, kids!" The exclamation drew cheers from everyone as they ran off to enjoy their newfound freedom.

"Naruto-san, stay behind," he added in an undertone. The boy in question looked up in confusion before nodding hesitantly. Once everyone was gone, Iruka sat down in the grass and motioned for Naruto to do the same. Once both were settled, Iruka looked at Naruto seriously and began talking.

"Naruto-san, I get that you'd be excited to show off your newfound skill at taijutsu, I do, but maybe you should keep that under wraps." At Naruto's blank look, Iruka sighed and elaborated. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'Discretion is the Better Part of Valor'? No? Then I'll explain. Sometimes, a ninja may be forced to hide his true abilities in order to use them later against unsuspecting foes." At Naruto's continuing blank stare, he groaned and searched for a fitting metaphor.

"Ano... Iruka-sensei... Do you mean like when I hide a better trap in a bad one?" The interruption startled Iruka, but he nodded fervently. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about! Hide your abilities until you need to use them, and then use only what you need. You want to protect your friends, right?" At Naruto's somewhat hesitant nod, he continued, "Well, it'd be easier to protect them if your enemies aren't expecting the full extent of your abilities, you see?" Naruto's eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically. "Hai, Iruka-sensei, I get it perfectly!" he exclaimed excitedly. "good, Naruto," Iruka responded. "You're free to go now."

Naruto nodded distractedly, his brow already furrowed in thought.

_-line-_

_**A/N: Well, there you have it! Chapter three is up and I'm fairly proud of it. For the next chapter, I'm thinking of a minor time skip to near the end of graduation, with a flashback or two (little ones, I promise) to explain certain things. Feel free to tell me what you think of it so far, especially if you spot any mistakes. As always, constructive criticism is welcome and flames are... pretty pointless! Next chapter: Naruto, Mizuki, and a talent for traps. Oh my!**_


	4. Chapter 4

The Trickster

Chapter Four

Naruto was pissed. No, he was beyond pissed. Apparently, some idiot had decided that the ability to create three bunshin was required to become a ninja. Naruto, of course, was unable to (_crazy high chakra levels or something like that_). Iruka had promised to speak up on his behalf, but he knew it was likely hopeless. He sighed miserably, rocking on the swing, his orange jumpsuit (_"Honestly, Iruka-sensei! If I can be sneaky in this, I can be sneaky in anything!"_) hanging listlessly from his slumped body. Even now, even after all that work, he couldn't be a ninja! _'Kami-sama must hate me.' _ The thought flicked through his mind before he blinked and looked up into the face of the person casting a shadow on him.

"Mizuki-sensei! Ohayo! ...What's up?" The last part was uttered tentatively at the sight of his assistant sensei's bright grin.

"Good news, Naruto-kun!" Mizuki exclaimed, though he loathed acting so... cheery, "Iruka-sensei and I found an alternative way to pass!" His grin was bright, excited, and altogether fake as he looked down on that damned kyuubi brat. Honestly, how could it act so human? It was mocking everyone with its mask of humanity!

"Really, Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked hopefully. "What is it?" He was trying to fight back the hope, but if Mizuki-sensei was acting like this, something good must have happened! Maybe he'd get to become a ninja after all!

"You see, Naruto-kun, there is an alternate test designed for those who can't pass the standard test but are capable of being excellent shinobi! The test is simple: steal the Scroll of Seals from the Hoage-sama's office and return it to me!" Mizuki couldn't believe this was so easy. The stupid brat was gullible as a 6-year-old civilian! Naruto, however, didn't notice his sensei's dark thoughts as he was too busy jumping for joy. "There's just one condition, Naruto-kun: no traps. The test is designed to make sure that you can function without a vital skill, so it takes away your strongest skill."

Naruto blinked for a moment in confusion before slowly nodding his head in agreement. "Alright, Mizuki-sensei! Where do we meet?"

_-line-_

Darkness... Why was there darkness? Everywhere... He was floating in limbo... What the hell was going on?

_Blades clashing, a grunt of pain, warmth on his cheek..._

Naruto sat up with a gasp. "Iruka-sensei!" he cried out, cutting off in confusion as he looked around. He was in his room. What the hell? Last thing he remembered was that bastard Mizuki hitting Iruka in the back with a fuuma shuriken, and the kyuubi (_kyuubi...?_), then... rage...? A haze of red as he summoned some kage bunshin...? What the hell happened last night? Fuuuuck... Naruto groaned, clutching his head, before he remembered: _He had graduated._ The excitement of his impending official graduation banished any thought of that horrible night from his mind as he jumped up excitedly and hurried over to the secret closet he had kept hidden just for this event. He flung it open and quickly began getting dressed. Tight brown undershirt, check! Flexible, loose pants colored in dark browns and greens, check! All the hidden pockets filled, check! Loose, lightly padded armour (a bastardized version of ANBU armour, if he was honest with himself, which he was) in the same tones, filled with any tools he might need, check! Dark brown boots, softly padded on the underside and armoured on top, check! And finally, his hitai-ate. Naruto smiled proudly as he tied it on. Check! Time to head out to the Academy for the last time!

_-line-_

Nara Shikamaru already knew that he would hate this. He sighed as he remembered his troublesome mother yanking him out of bed and forcing him to the Academy, much too early in his opinion. The fact that he was the first one there only cemented that opinion in his mind and he sighed, about to return to dreamland when he noticed someone next to him. The Nara prodigy started in shock and looked over to the twinkling blue eyes of Uzumaki Naruto. He merely groaned and rested his head on the table. Naruto seemed content with that and got up, moving over to the Uchiha's normal seat and began fiddling with it. Shikamaru's eys narrowed. After that impressive first day in trap-laying, the blonde had receded to the middle of the class. However, as someone who pulled that exact same stunt, Shikamaru wasn't fooled. He didn't say anything, though. The irritating Uchiha deserved what was coming. Both looked up as another entered the room. Aburame Shino took one glance at his sient companions and then sat down in a shadowy corner. Naruto nodded a greeting as Shino walked past, then returned to whatever the hell he was doing. Shikamaru sighed and began to go back to sleep. Troublesome...

Naruto grinned as he put the finishing touches on the prank he was preparing for Sasuke. Best to end the year with a bang, after all! It'd give everyone something to remember, if nothing else. Sensing people approaching, he left the scene of the crime and settled into a chair in the back, half-hidden by shadows. Heh, let the show begin! Ignoring Shikamaru's appraising glance, the blonde trapmaker prepared to watch the show. In stepped Sasuke, just in time, his rabid fangirls behind him, as always. Naruto forced himself to contain hi evil cackles as the bastard strode confidently (arrogantly) to his seat and sat down. The blonde's somewhat deranged grin grew wider as more and more people streamed in. No one noticed him that he could tell, and he was alright with that. Finally, everyone who would arrive had arrived and Iruka-sensei was just about to deliver his congratulatory speech when Naruto grasped the wire he held tightly and pulled.

All of the legs on Sasuke-teme's chair were pulled out from under him. The chair, and boy, dropped like a rock. Whe tne chair hit ground, two things happened simultaneously. The smoke bombs on the underside of his chair went off, blanketing the area in thick blackness, and the tripwires running under the chair activated an explosion of paint and a much less visible coating of chakra-resistant goo that would make it very hard fot the Uchiha to release chakra at all. When the smoke cleared, revealing a hideously pink Sasuke, and Naruto collapsed against the wall, laughing, he knew that it was going to be good day.

_-line-_

_**A/N: There you have it! Chapter four! As a side note, the titles at the top are more like arc titles. My bad for not mentioning it earlier. As always, feel free to drop a review telling me what you think. I've pretty much decided on teams, but I'm open to suggestions on Naruto's sensei... If you think of a sensei that **__**makes sense**__**, and persuade me so, I'll probably end up doing that. This whole fic is sort of a practice run, so if you can think of anything that would make it better, drop a review and I'll see what I can do. If I use somebody's idea, I'll thank 'em publicly.**_

_** Aaanyway, next chapter: Meeting the team!**_


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